Our brains are less satisfied by food when it consumed after dark

IF you find yourself constantly heading to the fridge for a midnight gorge, you can blame it on your brain.

The reason we have late-night food cravings

IF you find yourself constantly heading to the fridge for a midnight gorge, you can blame it on your brain.

New research from Brigham Young University has found our brains are less satisfied by food when it consumed in the late hours of the evening.

Lead researcher Travis Masterson said this is the reason people are overcome with late-night food cravings.

“You might over-consume at night because food is not as rewarding, at least visually, at that time of day,” he said.

“It may not be as satisfying to eat at night so you eat more to try to get satisfied.”

For the purpose of the study, participants were shown 360 images of healthy food and junk food at different times of the day.

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Using MRI scans, the researchers scanned the brains of participants to look for spikes of activity.

It was discovered both set of images evoked emotion, with the junk food causing more a spike than its healthier counterpart.

Additionally, it was found there was less brain activation when participants looked at the food during the night.

The researchers couldn’t conclude why this is the case, but they suggest it has to with the body’s natural circadian rhythms which dictate our rest patterns.

In terms of beating the cravings, Mr Masterson has a simple solution.

“Being aware that you are being more influenced visually in the morning and perhaps are being less satisfied by food at night may help you to make small but meaningful changes in your eating habits,” he told Huffpost.

The findings have been published in the journal Brain Imaging and Behaviour.